Yoga has a home off Broadway

<b>Pam Boyd/pboyd@eaglevalleyenterprise.com</b>Yoga Off Broadway's new owner Yvonne Schwartz leads a class Monday afternoon. The operation is the only free-standing yoga studio downvalley and offers classes seven days a week. Yoga Off Broadway has a nine-member teaching staff and is currently offering a New Student Special which features eight classes for $50. The special ends Sept. 30.

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"I have never left a yoga class wishing I didn't go. I have, however, stayed home from a class and wished I had gone," she said.

With her deep and abiding love for the discipline, Schwartz has found a wonderful home in Eagle as the new owner of Yoga Off Broadway. She took over operation of the yoga studio last month.

As its name suggests, Yoga Off Broadway is nestled into a downtown Eagle neighborhood. The studio is located at Fifth and McIntire, the former location of Fusion home furnishings. The studio opened at the site in November of 2011 after literally outgrowing its former digs on Third Street, just a half block off Broadway.

"I love working here and the people I meet every day. If feel really connected to our community," said Schwartz.

She noted that Yoga Off Broadway is a very comprehensive operation with something for everyone.

"We have tons of options for people with injuries, people who are older and even people who have never done yoga before. We serve all ages, all abilities," said Schwartz.

A glance at the studio schedule shows class titles ranging from "Power Yoga" and "Hot Yoga" to "Yoga for Stiff People" and "Gentle Yoga." That reflects the reality of practice, said Schwartz.

"The most common misconception about yoga is that you have to be flexible to do it," she said. "In fact, some of the people who began by saying, 'I can't do this,' are the ones standing on their heads three months later."

Schwartz noted beyond its physicality, yoga also brings its practitioners enhanced relaxation and peace of mind.

"It is a spiritual practice and it allows you to take that into your religious beliefs," she said. "It is a very personal practice."

It is also a very popular practice. Just as the nation is seeing a yoga boom, Eagle residents have embraced the discipline. Schwartz said Yoga Off Broadway currently has approximately 450 students on file and an average of 350 students per month in classes. But the operation still has room to grow.

During September, Yoga Off Broadway is offering a new student special - $50 for eight classes. The classes can be taken at any time, but the price only lasts through the end of this month.

"That's a great way to get into the discipline. It takes about eight classes for someone to get hooked on yoga," said Schwartz.

As the only free-standing studio in the community, Schwartz said Yoga Off Broadway not only offers a variety of classes, but also offers classes seven days a week during morning, afternoon and evening hours. The instructor corps numbers nine and includes three male teachers.

"We have a large number of men who have taken up yoga," said Schwartz. "They are finding out that yoga improves flexibility and athletic performance and improves health."

Schwartz added that along with yoga instruction, the studio offers free mats for students to use and some yoga supplies for purchase.

"We have great students here and I know every single one of them by name," she said. "With nine different teachers, you are going to find someone who meshes with you."